Jesters Do Oft Prove Prophets
by Green Eyed Faerie
Summary: I have many names however I have no names. I go by what the citizens bestowed on me; Poppin the fool. Innocent in the eyes of those who know me and virtually non-existent to those who don't; I'm on top of the world. Those on top have to fall eventually.
1. Jesters Do Oft Prove Prophets

_Jesters Do Oft Prove Prophets - William Shakespeare _

They call me Poppin, Poppin the fool. But I don't take offense for it's the truth. A wicked grin spread on my face, though it was hidden beneath

the cold hard plaster of my mask. A simple jester is all they see, those ignorant citizens of Italy. It is they who are the fool. They do not see

the wickedness that lay right before their noses. Who would suspect I of such treason?

No one would, at least not anyone in their right mind. Those who accuse me of such are instantly tossed aside. Many would argue, "Why

would someone as joyful hearted and lively do such a thing? What could they gain from this felony?" What would I gain? Nothing, absolutely

nothing. Except the thrill that often came from cheating death, or the satisfaction of knowing that I once again tricked the ones who placed

themselves so highly above me.

With a quick snap of my wrist, the body tumbled to the floor. The once wide brown orbs overflowing with fear were now void of life and the

breath was still. With a cheeky smile I reached into his money pouch and emptied its contents into the pink flesh of my palm before moving to the

next corpse. Its body laid in the same twisted position, blood seeping to the floor from the wounds in the back of its head.

If I said I didn't enjoy this, I'd be lying. The way the light left their eyes as their heart finally stopped beating, their dying breath sent shivers down

my spine, to my toes, and up again. It was so surreal, almost beautiful. No one ever understands the beauty in it though, all they see is death;

gruesome, bloody death.

A light knock behind me awake me from my dream like trance and I was forcibly thrust back into reality. I sprinted to the only open window, the slight

chime of my bells made me feel giddy as I launched myself out and down to the crowded streets of Venice. Landing with a soft plop in a discarded

bale of hay, I waited for the moment the servant would walk into the room and notice my art.

'One,' I though routinely. 'Two,' A sinister grin spread across my features as a blood curling scream filled the street. 'Three.'

* * *

**This was the beginning to my NaNoWriMo story that I set down and never picked up again, which explains the shortness of it all :P**

**It's loosely based on Assassin's Creed II (surprisingly not a love story)**

**Tell me what you think :) What can I improve on or work on?**

**Should I continue this or just let sleeping doges lie?**


	2. Innocence is Always Unsuspicious

_Innocence is always unsuspicious – Thomas C. Haliburton_

I was silent; as silent as a mouse as I snuck my way out of the stack of hay. Pieces of the sickly yellow straw stuck to the thin pockets of m vest, but it was a feeling I was used too. Though strange to most, the feeling was one I caught myself often enjoying; although itched like a bitch.

Glancing up at the open window, I noticed the servant was nowhere in sight. With a wicked grin, I reached into a small sack that was attached to a pocket on my vest and pulled out three perfectly polished gold balls.

With a flick of my hand, the first ball sailed up into the air smoothly and back down with a soft plop into my palm. Instantly it was back in the air, but not alone for the other two balls had joined it. My hands reached out and caught each ball with extreme precession as they fell. I continued to juggle even as the door beside me slammed open with enough force to leave a mark on the wall that laid behind it.

The woman's gown held a rich purple color and draped all the way to the cobblestone street beneath her feet. Her dark brown hair was held up tightly in a bun leaving no hair out of place. Two strands laid delicately on each side her face helped to frame it and keep her looking strong despite the many tears streaming down her pale cheeks. She was no servant; she was a noble. No doubt it was her husband who was laying upstairs with blood flowing freely from his head and down his arms. This day was turning out rather nicely, I'd say.

"Guards! Guards!" She screeched causing the three balls to plop to the ground so I could cover my ears. "Arrest this woman!" If she continued on like this my ears would surely start to bleed.

Two guards hurriedly marched over, wishing to silence the infernal woman's screams. "Please, _signora_, try to stay calm. You're disrupting the peace-"

"I'm disrupting the peace?" She spat. Her once elegant features were now donned with a fowl look and the tears left her make-up blotchy and runny. "What about the no good "What about the no good _faccia di merda_ who murdered my husband?" Another sob ripped from her vocal cords with no effort to hold it in.

"_Signora_, please," The second officer pleaded; he was much shorter than the first one who spoke and much more round. It was almost comical the way they opposed each other. The taller man was much thinner, as was his beard, and his armor was much cleaner. The shorter man was much shorter; barely reaching up to the first one's chest, and rounder. Not necessarily fat, but much chubbier. He had grown a long beard, it almost reached his collarbones, and no attempt at personal hygiene was presented. They both glanced around nervously at the crowd which had started to form, but I applauded them. The more the merrier, I say.

Finally, the first officer stepped up. "What's your name, girl?" It was an order, though clearly obvious that he had no intention of listening to anything that would come out of my mouth. I was already off the hook and we all knew it.

"Poppin, _signor_." I bowed low to the ground; the long nose of my mask almost touched the stone bricks that were unevenly spaced out. After a moment, I glanced up to find them both looking uninterested in having to waste their time on this mess. Not like they have anything better to do anyways.

"What is your business here?" The taller one growled. I noticed the difference in the two's voices. The taller man's pitch was immensely lower than the stout man's unusually high voice.

"I am but a simple jester. I'm here for no other purpose then to bring happiness to the lives of both the young and the old. What with all the killings and what not, I figured we all needed a bit of cheering up, no?" I finally willed myself to stand straight and restrained the growing urge to turn the noble women on my left and blow her a big raspberry.

The two glanced at each other, seeming to contemplate on whether or not I was telling the truth. As I said before; we all knew they'd let me free. They made that up in their minds before even asking my name. That's what's wrong with people now a day; they don't consider all the facts. Nor do they notice the facts that even the village idiot would've been able to detect. Take for instance, the fact that I just happened to pick a practically deserted street to perform on.

"Ma'am, we really have no reason to believe that this clown could've had anything to do with the case at hand." I felt something stir within me. "If you'd like us to search the area, we'd be glad to oblige."

"There's no need for searching because she's right here!" She pointed a long thin skeletal finger in my direction. I tilted my head to the side; presenting the best puppy dog look I could while wearing the mask. "I know it was her! I could hear her jingling bells as she jumped out the window!"

"The window?" I asked, playing dumb. "Now that's just silly! And trust me, signora, I know silly. I am a jester, you see?" I collected the fallen balls, and without bothering to dust them off, tossed them into the air. After a moment of juggling, I placed them back into the sack near my hip.

"Don't lie to me, peasant, or I'll-" but her rant was cut short and both the guards slapped their hands over her mouth. They sent me a apologetic smile, and asked the screaming lady to calm down a bit. After a short bow, I took my leave with a slight bounce in my step.


End file.
